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Gray
Jonah wakes me up by yanking open the blinds to let in a cascade of sunlight. I bury my face in my pillow with a pained hiss.
“Gray.” He sounds incredibly serious and somehow not right at all, so I lift my head to squint at his blurry form silhouetted in the light.
“What? Is it your arm?”
Breathing slowly through his nose, pain twisting his face, he manages to bend his fingers enough to pick up my glasses from the side table and hold them out to me. When I slide them on, he’s standing there in his boxers, a sheaf of folded papers tucked under his stump.
“We need to talk. And I want you to listen to me all the way to the end before you say anything.”
“Are you leaving me?” It’s a pathetic thing to say, scared and petulant and somehow relieved, like I can finally go back to the Gray who broods and never speaks to anyone.
“No, baby. No.” Ignoring the fact that I completely disobeyed his instructions, he lowers himself onto the bed by my feet and shuffles the papers awkwardly from his armpit to my lap. “This is the job Colson told you about.”
“Where did you get these?”
“I’ve read them all, Gray, a couple of times, and it’s an incredible opportunity. He was right; it’s like they made it for you. You’d help build the firm and spend your time representing people who can’t usually get a lawyer. There would be other employees there, coworkers and friends, and you’d all be working together instead of by yourself.”
“Jonah, it’s in Australia.”
His voice wobbles. “I know.”
“That sounds suspiciously like you trying to leave me.”
Climbing onto the bed next to me, he crouches there, studying my face. “It’s just a call, that’s it. It says in the papers that you’d go for an interview, so you’ll have plenty of time to decide. You should at least talk to them.” He swallows. “I just checked the time and if you call right now, they probably won’t be asleep yet.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”
He sounds older than I’ve ever heard him, his eyes calm. “I was trapped when I met you. You helped me find my way out, and now I’ll be damned if I leave you stuck here. Sit and read the job description, and then we’ll call them, okay?”
When I pick up the sheaf of papers and start to read, he curls up with his head in my lap and waits for me to finish. He’s right; it’s a hell of an opportunity. My body’s addicted to the cycle of running, of starting over, and how much further can you run than the other side of the world? Watching my life burn, I’m flooded with relief at the thought of just walking away instead of trying to piece it back together.
“Would you consider coming with me?” I ask, setting the papers down.
He huffs a quiet laugh. “What would I do in Australia?”
“You’d probably love it there, cuddling all the deadly wildlife.”
Sitting up, he scoops my phone off the bedside table and drops it in my lap. “I’d be too homesick. Now call the guy and ask if you can interview.”
“Are you sure, Jonah?”
His smile comes in fragments instead of a whole. “Go ahead. I’ll be right here.” His perfect skin presses along my back as he slides in behind me, always so hot like there’s a fire inside him. He just sits quietly, running his nose up and down my neck, along my shoulder, while I dial the number on the paperwork. As it rings, I put the call on speaker so he can hear.
“Hello?” A thick Australian accent answers almost immediately.
“Hi there. My name is Gray Freeman; I’m a colleague of Colson Strickland. He referred me for the position you’re looking to fill at your new firm.”
“Oh, yes. He mentioned you might call. Based on what he told me, I’d be interested in flying you out in a few days if you’re available, to talk things over.”
Jonah nods against my shoulder, but I say “One moment, please” and mute the call before twisting around to look at him. “That’s Thanksgiving. We said we’d spend it together.”
He blinks, like that was so long ago he doesn’t even remember. “I don’t mind. My parents would be happy for me to come home. It’s just one holiday; I’ll be fine.”
I think there’s something I’m supposed to say now. Something he needs to hear. Something that changes everything. But I’m too overwhelmed to get my mind around it.
After I confirm the interview and end the call, I turn and brush my lips across his. “Thank you for taking care of me.” Instead of getting up, we both melt back down into the bed and lie there with our foreheads together.
